Ornate designs featuring intricate, flowing patterns with intertwining lines, curves, and decorative motifs, especially in Islamic and European art.
From French 'arabesque,' meaning 'in the Arab manner.' The term was coined during the Renaissance when Europeans encountered Islamic geometric art and attributed it to Arab design principles.
An arabesque is also a ballet position where the dancer extends one leg back in a straight line while balanced on the other—European dancers borrowed the artistic term and applied it to body position. The flowing, ornate quality connects the visual pattern to the graceful body line.
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